Sticks and Stones...

RICHARD J. HERRNSTEIN, professor of Psychology, said last week that a "debate to settle an academic question is foolish."

His academic question, concerning the statistical heritability of IQ (which he equates to intelligence) is no longer merely academic. It is now a major factor in arguments that social class stratification is genetically determined. It has become an important issue in the rhetoric of politics and race, and Herrnstein's theory, because it comes from Harvard, and because it is backed with strings of figures (no matter how questionable their source), is particularly prominent.

Regardless of Herrnstein's original intentions in publicizing his theories of high IQ heritability ("I have never written about racial differences," he said last week), he now has a social and moral responsibility to counter the racial "misinterpretations" of his work. And an open debate with eminent population geneticist Richard Lewontin, professor of Biology, would be a good first step.

But perhaps there's something more in Herrnstein's refusal to debate with Lewontin. "I don't have the professional depth that a professor of genetics like Lewontin has," he said last week in a telephone interview. Herrnstein is a professor of psychology; Lewontin is one of the most eminent population geneticists in the country.

"He wants to discredit me," Herrnstein said. "Intellectually I don't see what we'll argue about, and I don't want a name-calling session."

It sounds as if an affair of "pseudo-science" (Lewontin's phrase) has burgeoned into an affair of passionate anger. Anger doesn't go away by wishing. Herrnstein is going to have to deal with the angers and fears his theories have aroused.

An open debate with Lewontin would clarify the issues. The debate in the journals, according to both men, is suffering from misinterpretations and misquotes.

Herrnstein must accept moral responsibility for his ideas and actions in an open forum. This is a principle which has been sadly and noticeably ignored in high places lately.